Electric switch.



40 .9 T I 3513 lfrowwygwxy d z G. F. LEWIS.

' ELECTRIC SWITCH. APPLIOATIOH FILED Mn 31, 1906.

' Patented July 19, 1910.

56 25 2 zfldegm,

onannns r. LEWIS, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J ifly 19, 1910;

Application filed Kay 81; 1908. 'Serial No. 319,528.

To all whom it my concern:

Be 1t known that I, CnAnLns F. LEWIS,

citizen ofthe United States, and resident of the cit r of New York, in the county of New Yorc and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

-' This invention relates to electric switches,

but more particularly to that class of electric switches in which it is desirable to obtain a quick breaking of the points of .contact. To accomplish this in a sim )le and efiicient' manner in my invention, refer to employ an insulated base, upon whic 1 may be mounted, in suitable bearings, a movable rod or shaft which may form a support for "a contact member or members. and parts operatively connected therewith. Said con tact member-ma consist of a piece of conducting materia of suitable shape, loosely mounted upon said rod by means of a suitpartly in cross section.

able bushing which may be of an "insulating material. ,In the operation of-said contact member, I prefcr to use suitable springs for producing pressure upon the contact memer.-' 'A.second contact member may be used with the aforesaid member and a pair of suitable s rings may be provided which opcrate the contact device upon the supportingrod or shaft. Said pa 1r of. contact s rings may bear upon aforeszud contact mem er to produce a resistance to the motio'nthereof.

The details of. construction of an embodiment of my invention are shown in the accompanyim drawings. Like parts are desig nated by li re figures of reference.

Figure 1 is a plan view of-a single pole switch. Fig. 2 is a planview of the same, Fi 3,is..,a plan view of a modification, shoy'viilg -the inveu tion as applied to a double pole switch, Fig. 4 is a 1) an View similar to Fig. 3., partly in section.

A base of insulating material isireprcsented by' 1, upon which a rod or shaft 2 ma'y be slidablylmounted insuitable bear ings 3 and 4. Upon said rod .or shaft 2 may be mounted a contact member 5 of suitable conducting material, which, when the switch is closed ism contact with the spring contacts 6 and 7. Said pair of springs are-elem .trically in connection with the binding posts 8 and 9. Compression s rings 10 and 11 may be mounted upon sai rod or shaft 2, in an abutting relationto stop-collars 12 and sure upon desirable points.

13 suitably. mounted upon-and'attachedto said rod or shaft 2. Said stop-collar13 may be provided with a suitable insulating butter 14 which, engages the contact -member 5. Saidrod or shaft 2 may" be provided with suitable terminals or beads 15 and 16 which are intended to act as a check to the lei-[gitudiual motionthereof. member 5 may be provided with a bushing of suitable insulating material 1.7.

In the modification of my invention as represented in Figs. 3 and i, 21 represents a base off-suitable insulating material, upon which may be mounted a rod or shaft- 22 in suitable bearings 23 and 24. A contact member of suitable conducting material25 may. be loosely'moi'intcd upon said rod or shaft 22, which, when the switch is closed, forms an electrical connection with binding posts, such as ,28 and 29. In this modifica- The said contact Y lion of my invention, I prefer to employ suitable springs 30 and .31 to produce pres- Said springs 30and 31 may be mounted uponsaid rod or shaft 22 in an abutting, rel tion to suitable stop-collars 32 and .33 attached thereto. Said stop-collar 33 and rot; or shaft 2-2 may be prov ded with suitable insulating-material as'represented by 34 and 35. A sec- 0nd pair of contact members 36 and 37 may be suitably mounted upon said base 21 and electrically connected with binding post such as 38 and 39.. A second contact member -13 of suitable conducting material may be mounted upon said rod or shaft 22 and insulated from said contact. member 25 by suitable insulating material as represented by 40. When the switch is closed said contact members form separate electrical conmzctions between said' pairs of contact springs or members. Said rod or shaft may be provided with suitable terminals ,spring 10 upon the contact member 5 overcomes the retaining influence of the springs or contact members and 7, and said mem her 5 is quickly-withdrawn from them. This motion produces the desired quick breakof the current passing through the members 5, 6 and 7 respectively. The position of the foregoing members .18 shown in the accom- 'panying drawings. by the dotted lines in described. The inward movement of the rod 22,.which may be caused by any do sired means engaging the end 41 thereof, compresses the spring 30 between the collar 32, which is fixed to. the rod 22, and the sliding contact member 25. 'lVhen the pressure against the contact member 25 is great enough to overcome the contact springs 26, 27, 36 and 37, the contact members25 and 35, which move together on the rod 22 but are insulated theretrom and from each other, move quickly to the position indicated by the dotted out-line in Fig. 3, thus breaking both circuits simultaneously.

- It will be seen that the operation of the device is the same whether a single or double pole is used and; both constructions are described for the purpose merely of showing the adaptability of my invention to various constructioiis and uses.

As manychange's could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely ditierent embodiments of my inven-' tion designed without departing from the scope thereof, I intend that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawin shall be interpreted as illustrative mere y of an operative embodiment of my invention and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is: I

1. In a switch, in combination, a Sliding rod, a contact member slidably mounted on said rod, a stop positioned on said rod to limit the movement of said contact member in-one direct-ion, a second stop ositioncd on said rod, a spring'positioned etween said second stop and said. contact member and adapted to be ccn'ipressed when said rod and stop are moved relative to said contact meniher, and a pair of fixed spring contacts adapted to grip and hold said sliding 'contact member in engagement therewith "while said rodis moved until the pressure of the compressed spring overcomes the grip of said spring contacts, causin contact member to move with accelerate speed out of engagement therewith and.

said slidin f2 v hearse said rod to limit-the movement of said contact member in one direction, a second sto positioned-onsaid rod, a spring positioned between said second stop and said contact member and adapted to be compressed when said rod and stop are moved relative to said contact member, and a pair of fixed s rin contacts positioned on opposite sides 0 sai contact member and adapted to grip and hold said sliding contact member in engage ment therewith while said rod is moved until the pressure of the compressed spring overcomes the grip of said spring contacts, causing said' sliding contact member to move with accelerated speed out of engagement therewith and against said first named stop.

3. In. a switch, in combination, a sliding rod, a conducting contact member slidably and insulatedly mounted on said rod, 2. stop positioned onsaid rod to limit the move-c ment of said contact member in one direction, a second stop positioned on said rod, 9. spring positioned between said second stop and said contact member and adapted to be compressed when said rod andnstop are moved relative to said contact member, and a pair of conducting fixed spring contacts adapted to grip and hold said sllding contact member in engagement therewith while rod, a pair of conducting contact members slidably mounted on said rod and insulated therefrom and from each other, a. stop posi tioned on said rod to limitthe movement of said contact members in one direction, a second stop positionedon said rod, 8. s rin positioned between said second stop an said contact members and ada ted to be compressed when sa-id rod an stop are moved relative to said contact members,-and a plureality of pairs of fixed sprin 'dcontacts adapted to grip and hold said sli ing con tact members .in engagement therewith while said rod is moved until the pressure of the compressed spring overcomes the gll of said spring contacts, causing said sli in r I 

